A week ago today I flew down to Phoenix and spent the following three straight days with my college besties and roommates. I lived with all of these girls at one point, but we never all six lived together at the same time. There was always someone coming or going, but the core remained the same. They wrote me while I was on my 18 month mission in Argentina, promising to "wait for me" and not to marry before I got back. (And they all kept their promise! Well, Nessy got married the day I got home, but still... it counts.)
I have always felt that God has blessed me more than my fair share with my friendships. I am spoiled when it comes to friends. I don't deserve the friends I have, and I know that. These girls are more like sisters to me- they know me better than almost anyone. They are friends with me me in spite of my weakenesses- they know that I can be mean or sassy or annoying or bossy or competitive... and yet they still give me love.
My brother told me once that friendship is a matter of convenience and I have never forgotten that. We are friends with who it is convenient to be friends with- people who work in the same place we do, live next door to us, people who are readily available. So I guess this is where my relationship with these girls transcends friendship. It is no longer convenient. We made great sacrifices to all gather in Phoenix this weekend- we came from five different states and all but one had to fly in. We took off work, we left husbands and children, we paid hundreds of dollars for plane tickets to see each other.
These girls have been here for me in the worst of times and the best of times. We spent lots of the weekend laughing and reminiscing about old times- the all nighters, the boyfriend swapping, the endless Office marathons. We spent a lot of the weekend listening to each other- telling of our life difficulties now, our struggles, our joys. (Anything I didn't know about pushing a child out of me I now know.) We did our best to be there for our friend who had a second trimester miscarriage only two days earlier. We laughed and cried and more than anything I just felt so extremely blessed for a Heavenly Father who put these women in my life.
(Also I forgot my camera. Boo. Camera phone to the rescue! Forgive me for not having the uber quality pictures you are so accustomed to with this blog. Like Mandy says, "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit.")
^^$20 pedicures. One thing I learned about Arizona is that the cost of living is CHEAP.
^^ Even got a visit from one of my best friends on the mission, Ashley. She had a baby three months ago so naturally she filled me in on what I have to look forward to in four months. If I hadn't already been pregnant before this trip, it might not have ever happened.
^^ Tennis every day.
^^ No girls' trip would be complete without a trip to Cafe Rio. Mandy and Courtney are Cafe Rio's freaks, but there is no Cafe Rio in New Mexico or Texas where they live. This means every time we get together we have to hit up the Rio at least once. We made the 30 minute drive to get these girls their sweet pork burritios. (Cafe Rio- are you listening? Build a Cafe Rio in Albuquerque! Courtney would single handedly keep you in business!)
^^ Eating pazookies in our swimsuits. Why not?!?
That's a wrap. Until next year, girls!
(Last year's girls' trip can be found here... Nessy was two weeks away from delivering a baby so she didn't quite make it out last year...)
I totally agree with the idea of friendship being a matter of convenience. Every time I start at a new store I make friends with a couple co-workers. We have girls' nights, we go shopping, we go out for dinner. But, I also have two girlfriends that I've had since junior high that I can't imagine my life without. We aim for some sort of get together once a month, though it usually ends up being once every couple months. We're lucky to be in the same province, but it's still a challenge carving out that time to get together.
ReplyDeleteI live in Arizona and you are right- the cost of living is cheap. I'm actually getting a mani/pedi tomorrow for a whopping total of $28. High roller right here.
ReplyDeleteI live in AZ too and moved here from UT. While manicures may be cheaper, housing, utilities, and groceries are definitely more expensive. So over all I would say it's actually more expensive.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds so fun! 'I've always wanted a big group of girlfriends like that but moving so much definitely makes that tricky. Also, oh my word I miss Cafe Rio so bad. So bad!
ReplyDeleteGirlfriends are blessings, that's all I have to say. And Cafe Rio, too. It REALLY needs to stop playing hard-to-get. Dying over here.
ReplyDeleteThis trip looks like SO much fun. There isn't much in this world that can top a girl's weekend in the sun (:
ReplyDeleteA Cafe Rio just opened near me but I wasn't sure - sounds like they're pretty good then?
ReplyDeleteLooks like so much fun!
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